2006 Songs of Christmas Series – “Holy Night!”
Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – December 24, 2006 [11:00pm Christmas Eve]

Prayer Introduction: Every song has a story. Most hymns have great stories. And this one is no exception. This carol is written by Joseph Mohr; there are over a hundred different translations of this song; it even has its own website. Joseph Mohr was born to an unwed mother, and never knew his father. The boy Joseph was to receive an education in the city of Salzburg, and the choir director assumed the role of a foster father. That choir director was none other than Franz Josef Haydn.

            As Christmas Eve approached one year in the Austrian Alps, Joseph Mohr was pastor of the newly constructed Church of St. Nicholas and discovered that the church organ was broken. So this song was composed to a simple melody that could be played on guitar. And on December 24, 1818 “Silent Night” was sung for the first time as a duet accompanied on guitar. In fact, the tune is so simple that even I can play it with my limited guitar skills. So tonight, as we close with Silent Night, we will sing it to guitar – as it was originally sung almost 200 years ago.

The story goes on that the man who later came to repair the organ so loved the song that he spread the hymn through the Alpine region – and ultimately it came to the attention of the king and queen, who asked for a royal performance “assuring the carol’s fame.” It was first published for congregational singing in an 1838 German songbook, and first appeared in English in an 1863 book of Sunday school songs.

I invite you to open up your hymnals to #60, and if you have your Bibles turn to Matthew 1:18-25. Let’s pray as we begin…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!

READ Matthew 1:18-25

I. The Miraculous Birth – Verse/Stanza #1

“Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright, Round yon virgin mother and child!” My In-Laws – who are professional musicians – have never liked the placement of that comma between bright and yon. It makes it sound like your singing about a “Round virgin.” Of course, the round is talking about the calmness and the brightness. All is calm and bright around the virgin mother and the child.

            Mary is a virgin. The Bible is clear on this. She’s a virgin, yet gives birth to a Child. This doesn’t mean that sex is somehow bad or wrong. Unfortunately, there’s been a tradition in the church that suggests this; and that’s just not right. Sex is good [and everyone said amen!] in the context of marriage. The Bible also doesn’t say that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her life. The Gospels refer to brothers and sisters of Jesus.

People try and dismiss the virgin birth – because it isn’t scientifically possible. I know – that’s why we call it a miracle. Science only wants to believe what it can prove; and so they leave no room for the miraculous workings of God.

            Certainly much of God’s working happens through the nature, which he created – the Westminster Confession refers to God’s providence in this way as “secondary causes.” God is the first cause – who created gravity and molecules and time and space – and much of life flows out in the natural secondary causes, which God governs.

            But occasionally God does something that is scientifically impossible. He parts the waters, so that the Israelites can pass through the Red Sea. He raises the dead back to life. He changes the heart. And he causes a virgin to be pregnant in order that He can be born into this world – to be God in the flesh.

            Why is it important that the Son of God be born of a virgin? Isn’t it enough simply to say that He was born? No, because the natural world, which God had created, had been corrupted by the Fall of Adam and Eve. Ever since the Fall, every human being comes into the world as a fallen creature – with original sin.

            If Jesus were to be born in the ordinary, natural, way – He too would have been born with original sin; and could no longer be the sinless Savior. And so an extra-ordinary, super-natural, miracle was needed. The infant needed to be holy at birth in order to grow up holy and perfect. “Holy infant, so tender and mild.”

            In all of this, the focus isn’t on the manger; but on the cross. It has been said, “Christmas is the promise. Easter is the proof.” Everything in Scripture points to the cross. Even the miracle of the manger points to the cross – and the miracle of the empty tomb.

II. Glories Stream – Verse/Stanza #2

The second verse/stanza takes us from the stable to the hillsides of Bethlehem, where the shepherds are visited by the angel of the Lord – and then by a whole host of angels singing the greatest “Hallelujah Chorus” ever heard. “Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight” (you think?! – you would quake too), “Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing, Alleluia” (why); “Christ the Savior is born.”

            Have you ever noticed that something which amazes you at first begins to seem ordinary over time? It’s sometimes called “The Honeymoon Period.” The new job is exciting at first, but then becomes mundane. The new Christmas present is exciting at first, but then gets buried in a closet somewhere. For some people their marriages sometimes were exciting at first, but have become blah.

            And even the birth of Jesus, which was indescribably exciting at first, has faded. Does it have to be this way? No. Why does this happen?

Listen closely – the problem is that we want to recreate the excitement of the beginning, rather than experiencing the ongoing excitement of what the beginning began.

            We want to be on the hillsides of Bethlehem and see the angels for ourselves. That would have been awesome by the way. But the excitement today is not on the hillsides of Bethlehem, but in the heart of the believer.

            The birth of Jesus happened in order for there to be a re-birth within you. We don’t quake at the sight of the glories streaming from heaven afar; we quake that the glories of heaven are streaming within us. We don’t just look at God in a manger. We have God dwelling within our hearts. “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

            This allows everything to be different in our lives as well. The new job can remain exciting, when you see each new day as a new opportunity to serve the Lord.

            Your marriage can remain exciting, and should even grow in excitement, when you see each new day as a new opportunity to love each other even better – as the God who lives in you directs your marriage.

            What the shepherds saw was an exciting, awesome, sight; let that excitement grow as you see each new day as a new opportunity for the Lord to work in and through you. Christ the Savior is born; but more importantly, Christ the Savior is born in you.

III. Dawn of Redeeming Grace – Verse/Stanza #3

This truth is drawn out even more in the third verse/stanza: “Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.”

            Jesus was Lord, right from His birth. He didn’t become Lord when he was older. He was Lord even while asleep in the manger. He was the Son of God, loves pure light – even while asleep in the manger.

            Many pictures of Jesus portray Him with a halo, but the picture here is of radiant beams streaming from Jesus’ holy infant face.

            But it’s not just supposed to be a pretty picture. The radiant beams are a picture of the invisible dawn of redeeming grace – the grace that gave you and I new birth, new life – in Christ.

            It is the redeeming grace of God that makes us able to see that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus is the Holy Infant, that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the Savior and that Jesus is Lord.

            And that’s really how you can tell isn’t it? The way you can tell if the radiant beams have come to you, the way you can tell if you have received His redeeming grace, is if Jesus is actively living as the Lord of your life.

            Many people sing of God’s redeeming grace – of his “Amazing Grace” – but have never really received it. For them, grace is just a word – it’s what you say before eating dinner. For us it is the power of the living God who is alive in us – showing us our sin, but also showing us His love.

            This past Tuesday, your Session had a great conversation about this – that many churches downplay the Lordship of Jesus Christ, because it makes us feel guilty as we see our failures. The problem is that ignoring the Lordship of Jesus means missing the opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

            The Lord wants to convict us of our sin, in order to take us back to the cross and see the Savior. And we see His forgiveness and loving kindness, which overcomes the sin.

            That is what next year is going to be all about. We will lift up 2007 as “A Sabbath Year: A Year Set Apart for Holiness.” All of those things that you have wanted to change in your life, the sins you’ve wanted to overcome – you’ve tried and failed. You tried to give up smoking, drinking; you tried to start a diet…and maybe you make it a few days, or weeks; but then you fail.

            2007 will be the year of hope – the year for God’s redeeming grace to affect our lives. We will take these sins, together, to the cross of Christ – that He may save us from the sin. We will match people up together to be accountable, who will walk with us to the cross – or perhaps drag us kicking and screaming to the cross.

            2007 will be the year of freedom – letting the Truth of Jesus Christ set you free from sin’s grip on you.
 

IV. Singing with the angels to the King – Verse/Stanza #4

And then, together, we can do what the fourth verse/stanza invites us to do. “Silent night, holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light; With the angels let us sing, ‘Alleluia’ to our King; Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.”

            This closing verse is a choral response, an invitation to join with the angels and sing “Hallelujah” to our King. The word, “Hallelujah” is Hebrew for, “Praise the Lord!”

            Let’s sing “Praise the Lord” for the Lord who convicts us and the Savior who redeems us.

            Let’s sing “Hallelujah” as we place ourselves into His glorious hands.

            Let’s sing “Hallelujah” not with the excitement of 2,000 years ago; but of today…and tomorrow.

            Let’s sing “Hallelujah” because…

THE TRUTH HAS SET US FREE – AMEN!